DEFENSE COMMUNITIES 360

March JPA Grapples with Requirement to Allow General Aviation Traffic

The March Joint Powers Authority (JPA) continues to move ahead with plans to open up the joint use airfield at March Air Reserve Base to private aircraft and corporate jets despite opposition from at least one nearby neighborhood.

The Federal Aviation Administration previously disqualified the authority from receiving grant funding because it did not allow general aviation flights. A Riverside County supervisor and member of the Joint Powers Commission has suggested paying back the $10 million in grants the JPA has received from the FAA to avoid keeping the airport open to all flights at all times, citing the safety risk, reports the Press-Enterprise.

The FAA, however, doesn’t allow airports to pay back their grants to avoid their obligations, a spokesman said.

The JPA has proposed building a $1.6 million general aviation terminal at the former March Air Force Base in Southern California, which would be the next step to allowing private aircraft.